Shouldn’t it be the other way round – What we eat depends on who we are.

A bad person would eat bad foods and a good person, good foods. Right or wrong?

Either way, one thing’s for sure. Eating is a conscious choice and honestly, sometimes it’s so stressful when everyone’s so conscious about carbs, fats, what not. Was having lunch today with Winston and we were just chatting about the sad reputation of carbs especially.

Seriously, if carbs are bad then I think I’ve been a very very bad girl.

That’s because today was a day of complete indulgence. I took it as a personal reward to myself for completing the marathon yesterday. I know I know, some people would shake their heads and chide me for my possibly bad food choices. But come on, who doesn’t love a good meal especially when you’re aching all over?

What exactly did I indulge in today? Loads. Shared a seafood platter at Fish & Co. and had satay, stingray, egg milk beancurd with mango, and black sesame ice cream later on.

No, I didn’t eat all that food at one go. Lunch was at Fish and Co. and I have to say that I like their service staff. At least the one at Tampines Mall. Winston wanted the calamari fried but they totally forgot and gave it to us grilled. We quizzed the waiter and that dude was so apologetic! He said they’ll give us a separate portion of fried calamari on the house. He later apologised to Winston and I like about 5 times during our time there. I mean, we didn’t even look or sound angry but I think he just felt really bad. But I’m glad that he was courteous and humble enough to say sorry. The management certainly trained their staff well 🙂

Yay, so apart from the good service, the food was comforting. It’s prawns, calamari, mussels, fries, fish and butter rice! If that’s not comfort food, then I don’t know what is. I was seriously stuffed after lunch. You’d think that I’d skip dinner ya? Well guess what. I didn’t. I couldn’t! Was supposed to meet Dot for dinner at Chomp Chomp. And how could I resist this:

Satay! Ooooo…. Satay is one of our local foods that I simply cannot resist. It’s so seductive I tell you. Blame it on the peanut sauce (see picture at the top of my post – this stall has pineapple puree in it) or the juicy meat, either way, it’s one of my most favourite local delights. I ordered the chicken and mutton sticks and both of us also shared sambal stingray and kai lan.

Ahh… Dinner was just as satisfying as lunch.

So what’s your verdict? Was I a bad bad girl? Especially since I couldn’t stay away from my beloved carbs and fats! Were my food choices bad? Did I just shorten my life by hmmm say 1 day?

You know what, food is a social construct (as learnt in my Sociology of Food module!) and it’s society who puts all these labels on foods and sometimes, no one really knows if a food is really all good or all bad. This debate reminds me of something I read in my module coursepack. In an article entitled “Eating Your Medicine”, this gentleman by the name of Dr. Stephen DeFelice was quoted saying, “Everyone talks about heart disease, but there’s a thing called happiness. I like living. I get up each morning, and I look forward to my work, to eating, talking to people. So I eat my cholesterol, and maybe I’ll die four months earlier. I’d rather die four months earlier – four years earlier – than be a vegan, who doesn’t eat meat or even dairy products, all my life. Life is wanting to live!”

There’s just one thing from that quote I want to highlight – Life is all about living. How are we to live if we keep worrying about if this food is good or bad? Or better yet, which foods are fattening and which are not. I think we should all cut ourselves some slack and learn to live easy for a while. Enjoy your food. You don’t have to deprive yourself of a bar of chocolate or that stick of satay. I know that the tastiest foods are always known as the most unhealthiest. But hey, I think there’s a reason for that. Just like the Chinese have their Yin and Yang, so does the world of food! There has to be a balance. Eat reasonably, eat moderately, eat well.

Want to know a secret? A long time ago, I was also nearly sucked into the whole carb-scare thing. People were saying that all carbs do is make you fat. I tried not eating rice but honestly, it spoils the whole experience. In Asia, rice is essential and so are noodles! And I love my bread and I refuse to give it up. But I also wanted to keep fit so I started running and haven’t stopped since. I am not blessed with a terribly high metabolism so I make up for it by exercising. Besides I do love sports so it isn’t a chore. Anyway sports is amazing – you feel really good from the inside out!

Back to the topic of good and bad. Let me ask you, are buffets sinful? Especially since it encourages gluttony? Imagine having 10 plates of this:

random shot of some stuff I ate at the Princess Terrace Cafe buffet

Would you go weak and actually give in to the temptation of stuffing yourself crazy? I think buffets are a smart concept. But what you need is a lot of self control, when you’re going to a buffet. Buffets are really tricky and I think it’s important to pace yourself. If you have to try everything, take a small serving of each dish. It’s no use piling your plate so high, only to waste it all because you are on the verge of puking. That said, I think buffets are perfect for carbo-loading before a marathon 🙂 Yea, I went to Princess Terrace Cafe at Copthorne King Hotel two days before the run and ate their buffet dinner. Hehe, it was a delicious experience. The food served were mostly Penang style, which I totally dig. Think Penang laksa and you know what I mean.

It looks like I’ve been rambling on and on about bad foods.

What about good foods? Nowadays when you go to the supermarket, it’s really easy to find healthier versions of everything! Sugar-free chocolate bars, low-fat ice cream etc. You name it, they have it. Recently I picked up this absolutely healthy bag of chips:

These are really really healthy and not that cheap. What chips are they? Do take a guess!

Good or bad, bad or good, I think it really doesn’t matter. Food is meant to be enjoyed and please try not to stress yourself too much trying to stick to a certain diet. Moderation is the key remember? I’ll leave you with this quote that I like alot (but I can’t remember who said it!), “To live in fear is not to live at all”. So hey, don’t fear too much about how good or bad a food is for you. Just live your life 🙂 Trust me, it works.

Looks like you pampered yourself with a great feast after that 42km feat! Good for you!

the yUmMie dUmMieS commented on December 4, 2006 at 11:06 pm

Heyo cheryl! I was onced sucked into all those low carb craze and I’m telling you it was such a PAIN! Now I eat sky high carbs (mostly healthy sources) and don’t really give a toot! Life is too short to keep worrying and calculating every single calorie!

And congrats on running the full marathon!

Lina commented on December 5, 2006 at 5:07 am

OMG Chomp Chomp! I so miss my fave place since I was a wee kid. Love e satay pics! *drool*

danklin commented on December 5, 2006 at 5:55 am

I really like your blog. There are a lot of dishes that I find very intriguing because I’ve not tried or heard of them. Perhaps I’ll have to seek them out. Sadly, my location limits availability.

Alicia commented on December 5, 2006 at 9:18 am

Moderation is definitely key. I’m a major foodie as well and do feel guilty when i over indulge because my tummy feels so bloated. I feel guilty because I abuse my body by over-eating so buffets are bad. hehehe

I had 3 buffets back to back 2 weeks ago and seriously felt sick after that. So I try to practice moderation after that. After all, can always eat more later. There will always be food.:P

Those are soy chips! I love them! 🙂 When KMart was around, i always get them and they are way cheaper than what get them for now :/ An alternative would be some nice muruku! Yum!

the hungry cow commented on December 5, 2006 at 2:24 pm

Are they by any chance rice crackers? 90+% fat-free.

michie commented on December 5, 2006 at 5:13 pm

YaY! I saw you on Blog TV but yr site got jammed la!! U look fabulous babe and you speak really well! Next time I shall buy cookies form you just to meet u and try yr yummies!! heheheheheBtw, I love satays! Ive been wanting to try some at gluttons bay!

Shirley commented on December 9, 2006 at 4:07 am

Chick pea! I bought a bag last week.

Anonymous commented on December 11, 2006 at 8:56 am

The quote “live in fear is not to live at all” is close to the phrase frequently quoted in the movie, Strictly Ballroom, as “A life lived in fear is a life half lived.”